Psycho Lullaby
by Akagekkou Maslyn
Summary: (Note: This is inspired by mad father, especially the Father's past, not a complete fan fiction of it) Oh poor Maria, lost her mother, lost her family and might be about to lose her own life. Doesn't she really deserve it though? Do you not know the story of Maria Drevis? Oh dear, you poor deprived soul, please come in, sit down. I must tell you the Psychotic Lullaby of Maria.
1. Author's Note

Author's Note

First I want to just reiterate that this was inspired by Mad Father. It is not a full-fledged fan fiction of it, it is its own creation in its own right but is more, I guess you can say, full when combined with the game Mad Father. I also want to point out I wrote this in a Creative Writing class and because of this certain chapters will be filled with more details on the scenery or time or character, et cetera, whatever our teacher wanted the homework/chapter to consist of. Also when it comes to constructive criticism please do not mention the way a sentence it set up or how something is introduced. I had too many problems with a class mate saying something like "Oh well you should point out they were fencing earlier." To which I give her a wtf look and say, "Well I figured mentioning they had fencing swords in their hands within the first sentence would send off some warning bells that they were fencing." But still just remember the way certain sentences sound in someone's head is very different for each person. Also, the first chapter was not included in the project but it was what I first wrote in class that led me to what I wanted to write my story about since it was basically a scene in Mad Father just with a different character I decided to base my main one off of. So enjoy, that's what it's here for and those who actually stuck around and read this, I thank you.


	2. Chapter 0

Chapter 0

I remember cuddling with my mom the night I was born. Is that weird? That I remember something from so long ago, something that I shouldn't be able to recall, yet I do. My birth was horrendous, lots of blood, lots of pain, squeezing through a hole much too small for something my size. It squished my features and bones, if most of them hadn't been cartilage I'm sure most of them would've snapped from the strain. But still once the fluid was cleared from my lungs and I took my first gulp of air I screamed with all the might of my tiny lungs.

The man who pulled me out quickly gave me to the woman lying down. Oh she was so frazzled and breathing hard, seems she had been through a lot of pain too but still she beamed at me as if I was the most beautiful thing she had ever laid eyes on. Most days I wonder if she knew what I would do later on, would she have killed me right then and there or tried to raise me better so she could change me later in life? Would she ever look at me as she did that day or peer upon me as if I was the spawn of Pluto, or as some new religion puts it, Satan? I guess I'll never have the chance to ask.

But still, on that day I seemed to instinctively know this was my mother, the woman I would rely on for a good chunk of my life for my survival and I cuddled to her bosom for warmth with a want to be allowed back inside, to hear that heartbeat that soothed me the past 9 months. It sounded so different from this side but was still comforting in its own familiar way. I stopped crying for a moment, content to be right there while she tucked a blanket around me. The warmth and soft beating of her heart were so comforting I silently began to close my eyes. "My sweet baby Maria," my mother cooed. I used to be so small, sweet and innocent back then. I wonder where it all went wrong?


	3. Chapter 1: Wilting Innocence

_Plump pink lips, soft blue eyes._

_A sweet smile though it's only a disguise._

Chapter 1: Wilting Innocence

Age: 5

Maria ran out of the house, yelling a farewell to her mom, having promised her mother she would stay near the house. She ran all the way to the creek bed before sitting down, the creek that normally flooded during the summer months. Carefully she removed her shoes and socks and stood up, getting into the creek, walking around with her dress hiked up high, the feel of the cool smooth stone against the soles of her foot soothing. After a couple minutes of enjoying the cool water she reached down and picked up stones, trying to skip them like she saw some older boys do but to no avail. In her frustration she threw one of the bigger stones at a tree. THUNK! She heard the stone hit something solid and it didn't sound like a tree. Plop! With a flash of black something landed in the water near the tree. She frowned and shrunk back afraid she had done something wrong then finally approached the tree. A starling lay dead in the water underneath its branches, blood leaving through a gash on its chest. With a gasp Maria quickly got it out of the water and examined it, trying to bring it back but it was no use, the stone she threw had all but crushed the small speckled bird's rib cage.

She frowned and patted the bird's head with a finger. "I'm sorry little birdy," she said softly before pausing, seeing the glimpse of yellow inside the gash. "What's that?" she asked before searching for a sharp rock, using it to carefully cut the bird open. She stared while she examined the soft yellow tissue and the graying heart and lungs. Maria had never seen something like this. It was so interesting. She couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from turning up in a soft smile. The heart, the lungs, the digestive tract, it was so different from how she imagined the inside of a body looking. By the time she was done the bird was nothing but scraps for the buzzards to devour. She wanted to look at another animal.

She went back to her house. Her home was more like a shack made of aging wood and a straw thatch roof. When her father was alive though he had added a nice covered porch and even raised the home on stilts for when the creek flooded. She kneeled down and called softly for the cat that lived under their slightly elevated home. After a couple minutes it came out and rubbed against her leg with a soft mew. "Good kitty," she softly muttered, petting the young cat before picking her up and walking to the creek. "Don't worry it's okay," she said, it looked up at her and didn't make a noise. The cat was unable to tell what she was planning behind that soft smile and innocent baby blue eyes. "You ready kitty?" she asked, grabbing it by its paws.

"Meow?" it mewed in a frightened tone before Maria dunked it into the creek, the cat thrashed but with her grip on its paws she couldn't scratch Maria until finally water flooded the small creatures lungs and it went still. Maria left the cat under for another minute before lifting her back up to make sure it had drowned. She carried the cat back to her house and slipped inside, sneaking a knife from the kitchen. Once back outside beside the cat she sliced through its soft flesh and peeled back its skin to expose the young cat's still warm organs. Maria smirked while she carefully removed the organs and laid them out.

"Maria!? What are you doing?" Katerina, Maria's mother, yelled after walking over.

"Mommy!" she cried happily, "look, I think this is the cat's heart. Oh, and this here is the tummy," she said with a giggle. Katerina quickly walked over and grabbed her hand, pulling her away from the dismembered cat. "Mother?" she asked.

"Maria, I can't believe you would do such a horrendous thing," Katerina said, trying to hide her rage.

"But mom," Maria started to plead.

"Go inside and work on the loom."

"But-"

"Now!" her mother yelled. Maria jumped at her mom's scream and quickly ran inside, the blood that stained her hands falling onto her lilac flowers covering up their soft scent. After a pregnant silence Katerina looked at the animal with a frown then went to go get the shovel. By night fall there was a hill of upturned soil with one lonely wilting white daisy on top.


	4. Chapter 2: Corpses

_Hiding behind a thousand lies._

_Someone that's not afraid to cry._

Chapter 2: Corpses

Age: 9

"Maria!" Katerina, Maria's mother yelled. Maria, her daughter, sat up on her cot, brushing her blonde hair out of her eyes, her mother having woken her up from her sleep. "I can't believe you did this again!" she yelled, holding up the dead bird Maria had killed yesterday, small shreds of purple hanging off it since she had tried to cover up the scent by putting lilacs on top of it. Maria sighed. She knew this had to happen eventually. She had been killing helpless animals for 4 years. Something about it excited and intrigued her. She wanted to know more about the animals though so while Katerina was out Maria would bring the dead animals in and dissect them, hiding them in dressers drawers upon her mother's arrival back home.

Maria slowly got out of bed, "I was going to bury it when you left," she said.

"That isn't the point; you need to stop killing these animals. It's disgusting!" she exclaimed. Maria stayed silent as she walked over to the sink and started washing the dirty plates from her mother's breakfast. This being one of her daily chores. "Why can't you just stay inside and work on your stitching, or botany? I got you those herbs book, you could learn to make medicine," Katerina said in a pleading tone.

"I don't like plants. I like animals," Maria replied calmly, trying to keep a cool head while her mother's word prodded a burning fire in her belly.

"You can't keep doing this though." Maria looked down while her mom went on. With each comment she gripped the counter tighter and grit her teeth. She was sick and tired of this. Maria felt it was her body and her mind and as such should be able to do what she wanted with it. So what if she liked killing animals, she didn't understand why her mom wouldn't support her. She could grow up and learn to heal animals and even people. Wasn't that a satisfying career? Woman healers weren't common but they weren't frowned upon either. But, she didn't want to just know how to heal people with already known herb remedies; she wanted to figure out new and better ways to heal them. "If you keep doing this, men will think you're strange and then no one will ever want to marry you." With that comment something inside Maria broke. Her mother always brought this up and she hated it, she hated knowing that she might not be . . . wanted. That she might, one day, be all alone.

"Shut up!" she yelled, grabbing the knife off the kitchen counter before turning and plunging the knife into her mother's heart. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Maria screamed over and over again. Katerina fell to the ground, a puddle of blood forming but Maria got on her knees and kept attacking, plunging the knife into Katerina's chest just to pull it back out and stab it back in again. She finally stopped after stabbing her mother to death 27 times. Maria took a few deep breaths to calm down before letting the knife drop to the floor and looking at her mother.

"Mother?" She said questioningly before it finally sunk in that she had killed her. Maria frowned but then used the edge of her dress to wipe the blood off her mother's face. She was so beautiful. If only in life they could stay this way. Eternal beauty, eternal life, living forever was a cruel fate but if you never aged during that time it would be wonderful. Maria stood and went to the dresser, pulling out some lilac flowers and then dropping them onto her mother's body. She closed her eyes and breathed in soft lilac scent deeply before opening her eyes again. "You know I've never examined a human," Maria said, smiling slightly. Kneeling down she picked the knife back up and got to work, slowly slicing her mother's body open.


	5. Chapter 3: Mors

_A railroad spike stabbed between the eyes._

_A toothy grin seen again and again._

Chapter 3: Mors

Age: 11

Maria walked lazily through the woods. She was enjoying her new independent nature. She could cook for herself and clean her clothes. And having lived so far out no one would even wonder where her mother went, if they ever did, until Mother Nature had already hidden her burial spot. What could go wrong? "London Bridge is broken down with a gay lady," she could hear these words being sung softly as she perked up and walked towards the source. "How shall we build it up again, up again, up again? How shall we build it up again, with a gay lady," the next verses were sung melodiously as Maria came upon a man.

He was tall and pale with odd gray tattoos on his face. His black hair fell over his face while he sung, eyes closed. He wore a strange brown robe that seemed to be made of some rough fabric like a potato sack but moved across his body as fluidly as water. It hid his body except for his hands that were just as pale as his face with long bony fingers. Maria stood there watching him, the way his lips moved ever so softly with each word of the song. She could hear the deep passion in his voice but the way it came out sent shivers up her spine and made the song seem dark and haunting, as if it was about more than some bridge in London.

Maria took another step forward but managed to step on a twig, the sudden snap causing the man to stop and open his eyes which were revealed to be a bright ice blue. Her breathing caught in her throat. The man seemed annoyed that a sound interrupted his singing but was calm when he looked over at her. She continued to openly stare and he did the same in return. Finally a cruel light entered his eyes as he smirked and pulled his hood up. Maria gasped in fright, the gray tattoos in the shadow of his hood made his head look like a skull.

Who was this man? He radiated power as if he could control her or anyone just by looking at them. Maria was scared but strangely intrigued. She was in shock, too much so to move as he glided towards her.

"Hello child," the man said, stopping in front of her. Maria took a step back, this man overflowed with primordial power, even if she wanted to, she doubted she could stay within 5 feet of him it just kept pushing her back.

He leaned forward and sniffed her, she tried to lean back but this time the power held her in place instead of repelling her. "Mm, you smell of death. You've killed, haven't you?" he asked though he spoke as if knowing the answer. Maria looked at him, trying to keep the shock away from her facial expressions but in her attempt to hide it, it turned more into a look of disgust.

"O-Of course I haven't. What type on sicko do you take me for?" she stuttered, taking another step away. The man just chuckled in response and regarded her coolly.

"Trying to lie? Don't hide it, I can tell you have. Why did you kill? What did you do with the body?" He asked her so simply, so straight forward, as if this was a normal conversation of simple common interest.

Maria could feel another lie forming on her tongue but this time it wouldn't come out; feeling more compelled to tell the truth. "My mother, I examined her body," Maria said, then quickly tried to make an excuse for what she did, "f-for scientific purposes of course!" she shouted out in her haste.

"Ah, scientific purposes then. Have you ever thought of doing it for magical purposes?" he asked, not seemed even slightly taken back by what she said. In fact he even seemed, amused, by it.

"Magical? That's all superstition and mumbo jumbo," Maria remarked, turning away slightly. Even for her young age at 11 she has a mind for philosophy and science, not giving in to any belief perspective and taking everything for face value. She believed everything had a specific reason it worked the way it did.

The man looked her over before he smirked. "Mumbo jumbo eh? What if I told you I could bring a body back to life?" he asked.

Her eyes opened wide in shock. "Unheard of!" she shouted out, it sounded like some crazy story out of that religion book people had been reading lately.

"It's not unheard of, it's an art called necromancy. It's a way of taking your own inner life force and the life force you gather from everything around you to infuse into a dead or dying body to make it start to create its own life force again. It can work even if its bodily functions have ceased to ever run again or even decomposed to the point it never could restart even if you tried," he explained.

Maria wanted to turn her head away and refuse to listen to his insane ramblings but he seemed so sure and something about what he said just made sense. "I-it could never work," she forced the words out of her mouth.

"Oh really?" he said, starting to walk away. Her eyes followed him as he walked over to a tree and in one deft motion he had snatched a bird out of a tree and killed it. She didn't display a single motion at this but then he turned back towards her and held the bird out. She almost stepped forward to take it but then his hand glowed green and in second the once dead bird moved then sat in his hand for a moment. Maria stared, unable to keep the sense of shock off her face as the bird pruned its feathers then flew out of his hand. "Believe me now?"

"B-but, how?" she asked, trembling a bit.

"I could teach you how. I can tell you can sense the life force around you. You have the capability to do magic. Close your eyes and reach out with your soul, see with your mind's eye. Don't you see what's around you, just waiting for you to make use of it?"

Maria stared up at the man. He was so powerful; he could fight the one thing she thought was inevitable, death. She did what he instructed and closed her eyes. As she focused she could feel an extension of herself reaching out and then suddenly, she was looking around even though her eyes remained closed. She was seeing and feeling the soft colors of the life force of everything around her. The dull blue pulse of the trees as they sapped life force from the nutrients in the soil and the water it held as well. It would take it slowly, making it last as long as possible like those health conscious people. Still the day would come when their bark would peel and their leaves would fall but would not be reborn in the spring, caught in the vice grip of their slow death. The grass and the flowers would suffer the same fate as well.

The animals wouldn't last as long as the trees, maybe longer than the flowers though. They would die within a few years from weather, food shortages, or fights, yet their will to live was so strong. Even now she could sense their life force, flowing a deep red. It was vibrant and short lived unlike the trees slow and constant blue. The bundle of electrified red they seemed to be constantly moving, as they should, with a life so short they should live it to the fullest each and every day. Maria smiled when the wind picked her hair up and tickled her face. Even the wind died eventually, it would travel all over the world but there was always was a place where the wind was barren and ceased to exist.

Maria opened her eyes to look at the man, this man was none another then Mors, the Roman god of death, somewhere in her mind she knew this but to who she was right now he was just a strange man who talked of an unknown art called necromancy. What all did the art of bringing back the dead entitle though? Could she bring back and control plants? Animals? The elements? No matter what it entitled it meant power, power she could only learn through him. Did she want that though?

"So, do you want to learn? Do we have a deal?" he asked. She looked down at his extended hand. Did she want was his promising? Despite not even knowing what she was going to have to give him in return? She didn't know the consequences, she could be dammed in the afterlife for an eternity for all she knew, but Maria doubted there even was an afterlife and in that brief moment she realized, yes, she wanted it. She wanted this power this man held, she could gain it and in time spent with him maybe even manipulate him into using his greater power for her wants. So in one fluid motion she took his cold pale hand in her delicate warm one. She would rule this forest one day.


	6. Chapter 4: First Spell

_Careful this may be your end._

_Once soft hands stained with sin._

Chapter 4: First Spell

Age: 11

"I've taught you several techniques, how to keep control of creations, how to praise the god of necromantic art Das-thul and perfected the way you sense the life forces around you but do you know what the most important aspect of necromancy is?" Maria's teacher asked, sitting by the edge of a river seeming to stare at his reflection. They had been traveling for weeks together. They mostly stayed to forested areas but have skittered around the edges of small villages a couple times.

Maria tilted her head up in thought for a moment, watching the leaves of the tree she was under sway gently in the breeze. "Life force spells?" she asked.

"Nope," he responded then turned to face her. "Creature creation, everything you bring back you want to be under control."

"Well of course, you don't want them to frighten people or attack innocent bystanders," Maria said with a slight smile.

"No," was all her teacher said before both stayed quiet for several long moments. "Not going to guess the correct answer?"

"I would if I had any idea what it might be," she said, looking off to the side, feeling slightly ashamed and aggravated. He chuckled and turned back to stare at the water. "Come on Dis Pater, tell me," she said almost pleadingly, using the name he had told her to call him by. He had told her it was his Irish name but since she did not know about Irish culture she had no idea what the deeper meaning of his name could be.

He chuckled again but looked back. "Okay. You want everything under your control but they need to be brought back properly. You can't just bring back someone who sustained heavy decay or wounds. They need to be healed or their decaying inhibited. If you don't they won't survive long. Even worse their brain could rot and that can make it harder to make them follow the contract."

Maria thought about this with a slight scowl. "But the contract is signed by the soul's very blood; wouldn't you have their soul under your control?"

"Essentially yes, you should. Still, though it doesn't work that way. The blood allows you to remove their soul at any time but the rules of the contract make sure the brain doesn't allow the body to do anything it's not supposed to. The part of the brain that controls that though can decay and rot rendering that part of the contract's power useless," Dis Pater explained.

"What are you getting at teacher?"

A wicked smile touched his face. "The best way to learn to care for the body, knowing where to stitch and heal it is to examine a body. A fresh one."

Maria's brow started to furrow in thought until she heard talking. She looked up to barely see two boys weaving through the trees as they walked near the river from the other side, oblivious to their two onlookers. "You mean-" Maria started but he answered her quickly.

"Yes, we're going to kill one. Or more specifically you are going to," he said, that wicked grin appearing again.

Maria stared at him while her heart skipped a beat. Why did his evil ways always do that to her. Maybe she just liked the bad ones, she didn't care though, it's not like he was beating her. He was just a very powerful and magically inclined man with a taste for the darker and more decadent arts. "What do I kill him with? I'm not strong enough to do it with my bare hands."

"Glad you asked," he responded, slipping out what looked like a metal thorn from the sleeves of his robe. "This."

Maria gently took it in her hands and stood, starting to follow the boy's trek from the opposite side of the river. "Hey I'm going to get a drink real quick," one of the boys called out, heading towards the river while the other continued south. Maria hid behind a tree and watched. The boy was probably slightly older than her with a mop of brown hair and dark eyes, his clothes seeming to hang off his lithe frame. Finally he reached the water and knelt down, scooping water into his hands. It was now or never.

Maria launched herself out of her hiding spot and ran. She tried to jump across the river but landed nearly in the middle of it. The boy looked up surprised just as her footing slipped after landing on the smooth river rocks. She started to fall but in a swift motion she extended her arm and aimed so as she went down the metal thorn was impaled through the boy's skull. Maria slowly got on all fours and looked at the boy. His body was halfway in the river, a small current of red flowing from his skull into the clear water, tainting it. She was panting from the adrenaline rush but smiled triumphantly. It wasn't a very clean kill but it was neater then her mother's.

"Hey Mason, are you okay? I heard some loud noises," Maria heard his friend calling out as he neared. She quickly pulled the body completely into the water and ducked under herself. While underwater she closed her eyes and focused on his friend's life force. She could see the outline of his body awash in an orange glow that was a mortal life force. He came near the edge of the river and looked around some. He didn't bother to even glance down at the water before he decided that Mason had taken the wrong trail so he walked back towards the tree-line. She slowly rose out of the water to breathe; waiting a moment to make sure the friend was gone. After those few moments she stood and started the trek back to where Dis Pater was waiting, decided to walk in the water so the blood could be washed downstream instead of staining the grass and leaving more evidence of her dastardly deed.

"Well here he is," she said, dumping the body on the shore beside him.

Dis Pater glanced at the body. "Not very neat but he is certainly dead," he remarked before moving him onto his back and removing his clothes.

"What are you doing!?" Maria yelled, cheeks becoming flushed.

"Well we certainly can't cut him open with his clothes on," her teacher said and after a moment looked at her. "Your cheeks look like roses. Wait, are you embarrassed?" Maria sputtered indignantly then turned away, trying to hide her ever reddening cheeks. Dis Pater burst into laughter. "You are embarrassed!" he shouted out, continuing to laugh. Maria turned away completely. She was angry that her innocence was the reason for his laughter but at the same time she had never heard him laugh and she actually enjoyed it.

Maria placed a hand over her heart taking a few deep breaths before turning back towards him with a glare and a scowl. "Are we doing this or not. I want to see that flesh stripped and sliced apart," she said sternly. His laughter stopped instantly and he soon smirked at her.

"Now that's what I want to hear more of," he remarked, removing the rest of the boy's clothes. Maria did her best to not let the heat come back to her cheeks and kept her eyes above the waist. She didn't have much to worry about though because soon the boy's body was almost demolished.

" And see here this is the linea aspera on the back of the femur. Oh and the acetabulum on the coxal bone. See this neck of the femur just under the head; this is where hip fractures are instead of actually breaking a coxal bone," Dis Pater droned on as his finger danced over the boy's waist and upper legs. Maria did her best to pay attention but she was more interested in his movements as he slowly made cut after cut and stitch after stitch. His fingers turned red as he used his nail to slice open or sear the flesh to remove it but used a normal needle and thread for stitches. He even taught her a few more advanced healing spells he went. She was soon captivated while watching the inner flesh that barely peeked out and the muscles that contracted and relaxed as rigor mortis set in. When he wasn't teaching her though he was humming, it was a soft and seemingly innocent song. It was the same song that led her to him, the one about the London Bridge. While he was focused on that she looked back at the water, intrigued by something she had gotten a glimpse of. She stared at her blue eyes in her reflection, but they weren't so blue anymore. For some reason she couldn't explain they were becoming cloudy, tainted by another color she couldn't tell the exact color in the water though. "Ready for the final lesson?" he finally asked, Maria turning back towards him while he healing the wound she inflicted on his skull and brain.

"Yes," she quietly responded, tearing her eyes away from the body. Dis Pater grabbed her wrist and placed her hand above the dead boy's heart.

"Focus your power. I'll say the incantation," he instructed. She did as instructed and by her own will her hand glowed green before he placed his hand over hers though he did not release any of his power. "Vrátiť dušu. Vdýchnuť život späť do tohto tela," he said slowly, his own words infused with the power that incased her hand. She felt an electric shock run through her hand before the boy sharply inhaled then opened his eyes. She quickly pulled her hand back just before the boy sat up, looking at Dis Pater then his gaze switched to Maria. He gasped and scrambled to his feet, backing up a couple steps slowly before he took off running.

"Seems he remembered you from the attack," he said with a chuckle. "Also, always remember that spell. It doesn't always work but it usually will with recent deaths."

"What did you say? What did it mean?" she asked calmly.

"Return soul. Breathe life back into this body." Maria nodded and finally smiled a little. She had just learned her first necromancy spell.


	7. Chapter 5: Hope

_Someone who is feared by men._

_Women tremble at the presence._

Chapter 5: Hope

Age: 13

These tall buildings never seemed so cold, Maria thought solemnly as she leaned back against a brick wall. The city smelt of smog from burning coal. Many buildings only a couple stories high loomed around her, built from brick and mortar. Maria sat on the street with a tin plate, begging for change. She could give life back to a small creature but she couldn't skin or cook one properly so she was stuck here, in this strange city on the streets, begging for money to buy food or actual food to nourish herself so she could live to beg another day. It was such a tedious endless cycle but she had no choice.

She should have watched her mother more as she cooked and joined her when she went to market, but it was too late now. After her teacher was done with their lessons he had taken her back home but soon the rest of the preserved food ran out and as it started getting colder she couldn't find any more edible plants. That's how she got here, heading to town to find a job. She hated these cities, she wished she had never had to enter one, freezing and starving. She wanted to die in the forest surrounded by the plants and animals she knew she loved. Not on these cold artificial streets that brought her nothing but despair.

She wondered how her teacher would feel if he could see her now. Tears ran down her cheeks onto the cobblestone road but the sounds of her sadness was muffled by the sounds of horses trotting, carts clacking along the road, and people walking. In such a loud and fast paced city a young parentless teenager such as herself was lost and forgotten. She had tried getting a job but failed, every place in this city turned her down preferring someone with more experience or a younger child that worked for much less, so she was reduced to begging. Still though no one would give her a coin, no matter how small, so she sat here day after day, literally wasting away. She didn't want to die but it was becoming inevitable now, the only person she couldn't resurrect was herself.

Maria carefully lay down on the sidewalk. She was so tired, so cold, so hungry and she knew today would be the day she died. She could no longer fight it, she had grown too weak so with one last glimpse at the people who were passing her by she closed her eyes and felt her breathing slow. Before her breathing came to a complete stop she felt it catch for a moment as uneasiness crept through her body. She paused all conscious body functions for a moment to examine it. Then she realized what was causing it, she could sense a body's life force but that body was focusing on her.

She slowly opened her eyes and glanced up to see a man staring down at her. She just stared up at him, confused but too weak to show it. The man was tall and wore spectacles that from this angle hid his eyes. His brown hair rested lightly against his head. Maria allowed her breathing to start back up while she examined him. He wore white stockings under his heeled black boots with knee length black silken pants; he had a thick shirt made of fabric that looked like it could be a tapestry with elegant silver designs. It was button up and hung low like a coat but he still wore a silky looking coat over it that had white lace ruffles along the cuffs. He also wore a pure white double layered cravat that had lace on the edges. He also stood straight with his head held high and exuded an air of authority. Everything about his appearance pointed to him belonging to some line of nobility or at least associated with some kind of power even if it wasn't his directly.

"Come with me, let's get you some food. I can also provide you with a place to sleep," he said quickly then started to walk away.

"Wh-what?" she stuttered out, doing her best to sit up. He seemed a little annoyed but turned back around, the corners of his mouth pulled down.

"I said to come with me. I am going to take you home to give you some food and a place to lay your head," he repeated with a little extra information.

"But, why?" she asked, trying to get to her feet.

"I think I have some use for you. I could use someone to help me with my hobby," he said before walking back over to her. "You seem weak, do you need some help?" Maria looked down but nodded solemnly. The man quickly stooped down and looped an arm around her waist, helping her stand in one fluid motion. "Off we go," he muttered before walking, Maria moving her legs a little faster to stay in step with him. "My name is Duke Alfred Drevis by the way."

"Maria," she said weakly. "Just Maria," she muttered pitifully not sure how to address someone of such a high class.

"Well then Maria, I hope one day you will stay with us long enough to adopt the name Drevis." Maria's heart swelled at those words. A new family, a new life, as long as she acted properly and did her best to learn what he expected of her she could live contently and continue her dark art in secret. In Alfred's mind though, he knew that would never happen. She would be of use with his hobby but he doubted he could keep her around for longer than a month. This little reassurance to join his family was just what he had to say though to make her happily and blindly follow him.

*Yes, I know this sort of fucks up the time line a sort of cross with Renaissance and Industrial Revolution but hey it is a fictional story.


	8. Chapter 6: New Home

_The lilac smell, oh so pleasant._

_Though the scene is grotesque._

Chapter 6: New Home

Age: 13

Maria sat in a cell. She didn't quite understand this was a cell though. To her it was simply a cement room with a wall of bars but it had a bed and she was given food and clothes so she was content. She sat on the floor of the cell eating; she was finally gaining some weight back after being here a couple weeks and the doctor was kind to her. She perked up when she heard the sound of footsteps, the doctor, Alfred, quickly walking into the room of cells. He was carrying the man that used to stay in the cell next to hers.

"Watch him," Alfred said, walking into her cell and setting the man on the bed before quickly leaving. The first thing Maria noticed was the scent of blood, she looked over at the man. He was nearly stripped bare and covered in lacerations, some had been stitched close, and others oozed blood and pus from infections and untreated wounds. It was sickening really. She felt a pang of guilt suddenly as she realized he reminded her of something. He reminded him of her mother. He had been cut and stitched up in many of the places she had cut open to examine her mother's body. His stitches even marked the exact cuts her teacher helped her make when examining a recently killed man.

She frowned and walked over, even with the time she spent with her teacher she hated to see someone suffer but the doctor looked like he still needed something from this man so instead of killing him she slowly started to rip off strips of her dress and bandaged his wounds. It was several minutes before Maria finished, having used every bit of her dress. She shivered a bit from the chill but smiled at her handiwork until she noticed the man was no longer breathing.

Her eyes widened, she didn't want the doctor to be upset that this man had died under her watch. She kneeled and did a simple necromancy spell she had been taught to bring back the recently deceased, "Vrátiť dušu. Vdýchnuť život späť do tohto tela." She whispered this a couple times before her hands glowed green and as she felt her strength leaving her the man coughed violently then returned back to a slow and steady breath, his chest rising and falling. Maria sighed happily and leaned back against the wall, drained.

"Did you do this?" she heard this question repeated several time before she managed to open her eyes, not realizing she had fallen asleep. Alfred stood in front of her, motioning to the bandaged man. "Did you do this?" he asked again, staying calm.

"Was I not supposed to?" she asked sheepishly. Alfred knelt down, examining the bandaging.

"You did an amazing job. I was certain he was going to die," he remarked then stood. "How would you like to become my assistant?"

"Assistant?"

"Yes. See I spend a lot of my time, examining bodies. I like to research the anatomy of human beings. I admit I'm not too good at keeping my specimens alive though and even worse at disposing of them. I could use some help and you've already demonstrated some knowledge in this field. Enough knowledge for me to want you and have some use for you," he explained, a soft smile on his face.

"What was I supposed to do before?" Maria asked, a bad feeling settling in her gut like a stone.

Alfred sighed, "Was afraid you'd ask. To be truthful, I was going to examine you after he passed away, but now you have another purpose, do you agree to serve it?"

Maria hid her smile but on the inside was filled with glee. She had been rescued, proven her worth and now was offered a position that would help her continue her necromancy. Maybe even in time she could do it in front of him. It was a dark art though; she had to secure her position in his favor first. "I would be glad to become your assistant," she said, allowing a small smile to show.

"Good. Come we'll get you some more clothes and I'll introduce you to my wife," he said, leaving the cell. Maria followed, allowing a maniacal grin to show behind his back. She was well on track to becoming powerful. First she learned some magical abilities that could fight death itself and now she was going to be studying with a politically powerful man. She knew dukes could get away with almost anything.

She frowned as a thought crossed her mind though, he had a wife. So how was she to secure a position in his favor that would give her access to his power and wealth? She was too old to be considered for adoption. She closed her eyes and focused, feeling the bundles of life energy in the house, her smile quickly returning. Only one family member, a mortal wife, and mortals were so easy to get rid of. First though she had to make sure she could be considered a replacement for that position though. She looked ahead at Alfred, he was quite handsome, she was in her prime and she was sure she could impress him with her knowledge of the human body. This shouldn't be a hard thing to accomplish at all.


	9. Chapter 7: Tainted

_They left behind such a mess._

_They. Why say "They" when its "She"?_

Chapter 7: Tainted

Age: 15

Maria was humming late one night after finishing her work. A woman lay on a table completely bare with a couple stitches on her chest and neck, breathing shallowly. Maria glanced back, trying to hide her disappointment. She had just brought this woman back to life but it seemed as if the woman's will wasn't strong enough to keep going. "What am I to do with you if you are not even strong enough to sit up?" Maria asked, walking back over to the wooden table the woman lay on.

"Our latest one not doing well?" Alfred asked after walking into the cellar.

"No, she has no will. I can keep adding life force but it won't do any good if her soul doesn't have the will to start creating her own," she sighed before looking back at Alfred. He was looking down at her adoringly and she couldn't help but smile. At first she had been nervous about telling him she could bring back the dead but when he caught her in the act he had surprised her by admiring her skills so openly. Since that day he had use her skills often, using her creations as slaves and maids.

"Guess you have to put her out of her misery," he muttered softly.

"Guess so," she replied, pulling the metal spike she had kept from Dis Pater out of her apron pocket. "Sorry, it could have ended differently," she muttered before sinking it deep into the woman's barely beating heart, the sternum making a sickening crack as it was shattered. "I shall dispose of her."

"That can wait," Alfred quickly said before she could even step away.

"Okay then," she muttered, pulling out her lilac perfume and spraying it around the room as she always did after a death. Alfred didn't quite like the smell but it calmed Maria down so he could deal with it.

"Come here Maria," Alfred said. She looked back at him but soon walked over. Alfred smirked before pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Oh doctor," she sighed happily, starting to giggle as he kissed her neck.

"Mmm, Maria," he said softly, his hand slowly moving to start unbuttoning her dress.

"D-Doctor, we shouldn't," she said, backing up, no matter how badly she wished to stay in his arms.

"Why not?"

"Your wife," she replied, moving over to a mirror, to fix herself.

"She doesn't have to know," he said, moving to stand behind her.

"She already doesn't like me though," Maria said, staring into her reflection, more precisely into her emerald green eyes. She didn't know what happened to her baby blue ones but something about this new color just didn't sit well with her.

"It doesn't matter she can't harm you while I'm here," he said, slowly moving her hair back from her face. Maria stayed silent and stared into her eyes. Alfred seemed to notice this and spoke up, "Your green eyes are so beautiful. You know they say green eyes are from toxins being in the body and that you can't have natural green eyes."

"They used to be blue," she breathed, Alfred moving away to leave.

"From toxins in the body," she muttered after he left, fingers resting near her eye. "Toxins are tainting my eyes. I'm tainted," she whispered to herself, not sure what to make of this stray thought. In the end she smiled, "Hear that mom even when tainted and doing what I love, what you considered disgusting, I'm still able to catch the eye of a high class man. Bet you didn't see that coming," she said, turning away to face the dead woman. Time to clean up.


	10. Chapter 8: A Mother's Touch

_Wearing blood stained clothes._

_Smiling at what she had seen_

Chapter 8: A Mother's Touch

Age: 16

Maria worked away in the cellar, carefully slicing up a body from the last experiment to dispose of later. She wore her favorite and most common outfit; it was a long sleeve white dress that reached her shins that had a little bit of give at the hems. Over it she wore a dark grey apron that right now was dotted with blood though her buckled black shoes remained shiny and spotless. She had enjoyed doing this and working with the Duke for a couple years now but her favorite part was about to come as she heard soft footsteps approach her from behind. She stayed quiet and kept doing her work, ignoring the footsteps until two slender arms wrapped around her from behind.

"Hello Maria," Alfred whispered softly in her ear as she smiled.

"Hello Doctor," she responded, the Duke preferring when she referred to him as a doctor, at least in private. She put her hands over where his rested below her breasts and just leaned back against him. She sensed his smile before he started to kiss up her neck gently, Maria letting a little shiver show. This was a common practice between them. Of course he would never have sexual relations with another woman while married but divorce was too hard to obtain to just have a little extra on the side and for these past years she had been content with that.

"As lovely as ever," he whispered, one head started to run down the nape of her neck then to her chest, pulling down her dress for a few brief seconds before he let go but she knew he still got more than an eyeful but it was the little things like this that she allowed that were keeping him ensnared. That's what she wanted after all right, to ensnare this man? His power and wealth would be hers to command if she did, after all his wife was dreadfully ill, she couldn't hold on much longer.

"How's your wife?" she asked simply. She hated to bring something like that up at a moment like this but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious.

"Better," he whispered starting to kiss her neck but then paused. "Could you give her the medicine for me?" Maria smiled and said she could though she was filled with turmoil at the thought she was healing. That's why later that day she let her dark side come out. She had made Monika some soup and was starting to mash up her medicine, pouring the powdered bits into Monika's food and afterwards she slipped a vial out of the pocket of her apron. In it was a golden brown dust, this was a deadly amount of opium and she carefully uncapped the vial and tapped the powder into the soup. She wasn't letting the Duke slip away any longer; she wanted Monika out of the way, while Monika's son was still young enough that he would not remember his mother.

"Hello milady," Maria said kindly as she walked into Monika's bedroom, carrying some soup and water on a platter for her. Monika did look a little better. She sat propped up on pillows in a deep blue nightgown reading a book. Her robe was lying across the end of her bed showing she had been getting up and moving around some. Monika looked up at her, her long waist length brown hair had been brushed but nothing else. She had dark circles under her eyes but some color had returned to her cheeks.

"Good day Maria," she responded swiftly. She knew Maria was more than just an assistant to her husband but without physical proof she couldn't very well grab John and leave. So Monika was waiting, biding her time, once she was better she could stake out the cellar and listen for the sounds of his betrayal. "How is John?" she asked, referencing that John was in Maria's care.

"I'm just about to lay him down for a nap milady," she said, setting the food and water down on the table beside her. "I felt you needed to be fed and given your medicine first though. After all you need to keep your energy up to make a speedy recovery," Maria fibbed with a faux smile.

"Well thank you then Maria. Where is the medicine?" she asked, looking at the platter.

"It's already in the food. I know how awful it tastes and decided this would be more bearable."

"Ok then, I can handle it from here. You are dismissed." Monika waved her hand. Maria curtsied deeply and backed out of the room. Once she closed the door she let a knowing smirk come to her lips then took off down the hall. As she had said she fed John a bottle and laid him down. His little eyelids fluttering closed while she sang London Bridge Was Falling Down. Oh how Maria adored the song her teacher had taught her. It sounded so sweet but underneath the surface it was a cruel song that ended with the old tradition of burying a child alive in the foundation to for its spirit to forever stand guard over it. Kind of like her, she secretly thought, a sweet front but dark truth.

Once she heard the soft slowed breathing of the child she headed back to check on Monika's demise, spritzing her perfume on as she walked. She stepped in to see her shaking, her nails and lips were taking on a blue tinge. Maria walked over to her and put a hand on her chest. Her heart was beating like a hummingbird's wings but the rise and fall of breaths were barely noticeable. Her eyes flicked wildly beneath her eyelids. Yes, Maria was sure she was not going to survive this. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of your child, and your husband as well," Maria whispered, her ear near Monika's ear. She did not open her eyes, as she shouldn't, those blue eyes would never open again now that Maria's plan was coming to fruition.

"Poor dear, you'll never see your child grow up and the Duke was so sure you were going to get better," she said with faux sadness before she smirked darkly. "You're just a filthy wretch that only got such a good man because of your family's status, aren't you?" she said. "I may not have a position in this countries hierarchal system but I have a place in this universe and it's much higher than yours," she said darkly. "You are but a harpy that got everything she wanted because it was her supposed birth rite." Maria spat on her face, it wasn't noticeable among the beads of sweat on her face but she still felt much better for showing the blatant disrespect for her, Monika's breathing stopped.

"Oh no, milady is close to death, her breath it has stopped," she said dramatically, looking back to see her. "Wait, her heart is still beating she can still be saved," she yelled then hit her chest harshly with her fist, the heart instantly stopping. "Oh, never mind, even the heart has given up hope now," she said, replacing her dramatic frown with a smirk. Maria laughed some, maybe even slightly deranged. "It's for the best Monika; you should have just let the fever overcome you. My hands are already stained though, another drop of blood means nothing to me." Maria smoothed Monika's hair away from her face then replaced her smirk with a frown and ran out of the room. "Doctor! Doctor! Milady! Her heartbeat has stopped!" She yelled, running downstairs to find the Duke, voice cracking with grief. Down the hall John's lower lip started to tremble as he cried silently in his sleep. Haunted by a nightmare perhaps?


	11. Chapter 9: London Bridge Is Falling Down

_A deranged smile and bright green eyes._

_ She has finally shed her disguise. _

Chapter 9: London Bridge Is Falling Down

Age: 19

A soft wail filled the room as Maria rocked a small child. It had taken years but after the proper mourning period Alfred had married her and made her the new Duchess. Now she had a child with him, Lucas, the young blonde haired and honey eyed boy that at the moment was crying in her arms. "Come on dear I know you are tired, look at you rubbing your eyes." The moment Maria pointed this out Lucas lowered his hands as if understanding her. "Maybe you just need a lullaby," she said as she stood. Maria started to sing while she walked towards his crib. "London Bridge is broken down, broken down, broken down. London Bridge is broken down with a gay lady~" Maria sang, laying Lucas down carefully.

While she sang John stepped in, Maria soon turning towards him, "What is it John, I am trying to put your brother to sleep," she did her best to say sweetly, trying to hide any spite she held for the toddler.

"Can I please listen to your singing as well mama?" he asked kindly, looking up at her with the adoring and hopeful eyes that pleaded for her attention.

"Sure," she responded as he quickly sat cross legged on the floor. Maria continued the song and was reminded of a simpler, probably darker, time. She remembered many hours she sat with her teacher as he sang this same song. He seemed to love doing it most of all while preparing or dissecting bodies.

"Teacher why do you always sing that?" she remembered asking on a cool autumn afternoon not long before he was going to leave.

"Why do you ask? Do you enjoy it?" he had responded.

"Well it sounds nice. Like a child's lullaby, though it seems strange to make a song about a bridge. Especially that last line about setting a man to watch and giving him a pipe to smoke to keep him awake. Surely that isn't enough to keep a man awake all night and day."

"Ah, but that's where my favorite part comes in. For that part contains the secret meaning," he had told her, his eyes glinting darkly.

"What does it mean?" she had asked in almost a whisper, almost regretting she had asked later on.

"You see, even now when a bridge is built they do not set a man's body to watch. They set his soul."

"But that's not possible, you can't trap a soul."

"Oh yes you can. They usually take a child and bury him alive in the foundation of the building or bridge and sometimes they even burn him alive. Some would say his body is smoking," he said, leading her mind's line of thinking to the line about a pipe.

"Why?"

"To set a man to watch, his soul will forever guard the bridge," it was silent between them for a few seconds as this information sunk in. "Just forget about it though, this song was written by a lady that was dazzled to see the New London Bridge. When she found the original lyrics and changed them slightly she probably didn't know its dark history. Now it's just a children's play song," he said, turning away to work on something.

But, Maria didn't forget it, no, she never would. Even now when she had to kill failed experiments or even living, breathing, human beings for Alfred to experiment on she heard that song being sung softly in her head. Yet, here she stood singing her youngest to sleep with it. It was such a delightful and even psychotic lullaby. "Then we'll set a man to watch, man to watch, man to watch. Then we'll set a man to watch, with a gay lady."

In Sweden a man in a dark brown cloak stood over a child as it slowly died from exposure. He didn't watch with any joy, he hated seeing such young life be taken by nature so easily, and all because a parent saw him unfit. The young child stopped moving as the man bent down and slowly sank his hand into his chest, pulling out a small blue orb from the boy's body. "Sorry, little one. Find peace," he muttered. He didn't look back as he started to walk away when a sudden image flashed in his eyes. He saw his old student Maria, her cheek pressed to a small baby boy with matching blonde hair.

Mors stopped for a moment and tilted his head but quickly continued on, another scene suddenly playing in front of his eyes. He was now standing in a bedchamber. It looked like a boy sat on the bed away from him, starting to unbutton his shirt. He didn't control the body he was in as it closed the door, the boy quickly turning towards him at the noise. It wasn't a boy though. He was met by a woman with a green eye, her other eye was missing leaving a gaping socket with many veins still trying to thrive in it as they crisscrossed in the gaping hole, most of her right cheek and the other parts of the skin surrounding the eye were either burned completely off or very badly scarred from burns. Her blonde hair was short, in a young boy's cut, and wavy. The white collared shirt was halfway unbuttoned giving him more than a glimpse of her generous bosom.

His body bowed and she smiled. "Hello teacher," she said, Mors quickly recognizing Maria's delicate though older voice.

"Hello mistress," he responded against his soul's will.

"Do you wish to join me in my bed tonight?"

"If that is what you want," he said, his soul's interest definitely piqued to see what this entitled.

"Come, lay down," she purred, patting beside her before she slipped the shirt off, revealing herself to him. The light skin tone that was flawless and unmarked, the toned muscle, and the curves that were a perfect size for an adult hourglass figure. The only flaw was that she was quite skinny, but still he felt drawn to her. He was more than willing to personally do what the body did on its own, walking over to the bed and removing his shirt before sitting on the bed beside her. "We should have some fun tonight teacher," she said, getting on her knees as she unbuttoned her pants.

Oh it is going to be fun indeed he thought with a smirk before he was pulled out the vision. He was sitting back on the snowy ground, eyes staring forward. He couldn't hold back the slight disappointed frown; it had been awhile since he had been drawn to a woman in such a way. "I think I should go check up on my student," he murmured, unsure if this idea was from the want to finish what he had seen or to see what caused such a drastic body change. Mors stood and started heading south. It would be awhile before he reached Italy but something in his mind told him it would be worth the wait.


	12. Chapter 10: Contract

_Sleep now with a Psycho Lullaby._

Chapter 10: Contract

Age: 25

Lucas and John played joyfully in the ball room, each moving gracefully on the marble floor fencing swords in hand. This was a daily practice for them. John and Lucas' hair flying as they went back and forth, a mixture of John's straight brunette hair and Lucas' wavy strawberry blonde. They normally would have done this outside but it was late with the moon high in the sky. Their mother had allowed them to stay up late to wait for their dad to come home from his trip to Florence, but had chased them back in when clouds obscured the crescent moon. They laughed as they moved until Lucas disarmed his older half-brother John. He gasped then ran to the fireplace and grabbed a nearby stoker, turning just in time to parry away Lucas' blow but in the upward swing he broke through the fencing sword, managing to also slice through Lucas face as if it was warm butter and gouge his right eye out, the stoker having been red hot without John's notice. Both the boys screamed as Lucas fell to the floor, the blood flowing freely, unable to clot because he was a hemophiliac. His mostly crushed golden brown eye fell to the floor, John stepping on it, destroying it, as he ran out of the room.

"Oh Das-thul, Lucas! Stay here," John yelled in terror, using the name of their forgotten god. "I'll get mom," he had said before taking off through the house, screaming at the top of his lungs for their mother. His mother was down in the cellar, slowly sowing a body up.

"Now your beauty will last forever now," she muttered quietly, unable to hear her step-son's cries in her solitude. She gently tied off the stiches around the wrist and set the arm down. It was almost done. A man with a strong body and broad chest, he was both handsome and had the capability for magic that surpassed even her own. She smiled and tucked a piece of parchment that contained a blood contract into her blouse. This woman, the boy's mother, Maria, was a necromancer, forever working on her creatures, several of which roamed the house serving them while under a blood contract of her design. She tilted her head up, feeling the alignment of the planets and stars; she needed to find a soul soon. December 21st 1637, this solstice the planets Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Pluto would align, war, love, power, and death, all needed for this, her greatest creation. The moment was almost right, just another hour or two and-

"Mother!" John yelled before busting the wooden door to the cellar open, his dark brown eyes wide with fright.

"What?" she asked annoyed, turning her head sharply, making her curly blonde hair, which she kept pinned up, bounce. Even at her age his mom was still beautiful with large green eyes, fair skin and a lineless face with not a single scar from pass sicknesses. John never understood why his mom was so distant, this was his mother, the woman that gave him life, or so he thought. Only Maria and the boy's father, Alfred, would know that John was actually Alfred's previous wife, Monika's son. This always caused Maria to be more distant with John while she doted on her fragile son Lucas. She also feared that one day John would find out that Maria had caused his mother's death by carefully slipping his mother just a gram too much of some medicine while bed ridden with Spanish influenza.

"M-mom, L-Lucas, he's hurt," he stuttered, face paling while her green eyes widened as she quickly strode out of the room. "We were playing in the ballroom when-" John started but Maria didn't need to hear any more before she had the folds of her many layered dress gathered in her hands and was running up the stairs two at a time. She ran the whole way to the ballroom, practically falling when she got to Lucas and dropped onto her knees.

"Lucas! Lucas honey," she yelled, pressing her ear to his chest, but it was silent. "No," she muttered before screaming it quickly trying to revive him with her own dark magic. "Vrátiť dušu. Vdýchnuť život späť do tohto tela," she shouted over and over, trying to breathe his soul back into his body in this quick spell. A green light encased her hands while she repeated it but it was to no avail. "No, no! This can't be happening! Lucas!" she shouted one final time before breaking down into tears and holding his thin body close to hers, the blood covering his button up shirt, brown pants and suspenders.

"I'm sorry mother," John mumbled, staring down at his black leather shoes while Maria sobbed over her dead son's body. When he spoke though she stood, letting Lucas' body drop to the floor, and slowly facing him.

"You! You did this!" she shouted, facing John with fire in her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry mother. I didn't mean to, it was an accident. I didn't think I would hit him," he nearly yelled, pleading with his mother.

"You are not my son. You belong to that harpy! You killed my son!" her face bright red while she shouted in rage and before either of them could realize what she was doing her hand had sunk into his chest, broken through his sternum and was squeezing his heart. Maria paused, eyes wide as John stayed still, the light slowly leaving his eyes but in one final movement she pulled it out. She stood there watching his heart do one last feeble beat, releasing the rest of the blood in it to pour onto the floor with a sickening noise while John crumpled to the ground, his blood mingling with Lucas'.

Maria took a step back and chuckled, the sound of it easily showed her deranged mind. "I-I can fix this. Th-this is my job. I can do it," she mumbled to herself before picking Lucas up and running back to the cellar. She slammed open the wooden door and roughly shoved her latest body off the table before setting Lucas down softly. "Don't worry my sweet. Mommy can save you, you may not age but you can live again," Maria whispered softly, moving Lucas' wavy blonde hair back away from his face.

She got to work cleaning and dressing his wound, she wouldn't be able to regenerate his eye and the burn wound would scar but she still wanted her son back. She got a scroll next and used the blood on the table to start writing the contract. This one would be different. Her son wouldn't be tied to her forever, he wouldn't serve her. She wanted him to have his freedom. While she worked she was oblivious to the soft sound of the door opening and footsteps but she perked up at the sound of a click before cold metal was placed against the back of her head.

"Maria, what are you doing?" a soft masculine voice asked before she slowly turned to see a man. He had short brown hair and thin glasses that obscured his eyes, a mask usually on to cover his mouth but right now it was uncovered and tilted down in a small scowl. This was Alfred, one of the kings many Dukes and her current husband.

"A-Alfred, I'm reviving our sons," she told him. Her green eyes were wide with dilated pupils, her grin that of an insane person, face paling at the sight of the gun he had been pointing. Alfred frowned and pointed the gun just over her left eye so she could see into the barrel. It was a very crude hand gun from China, gun powder fairly new to the battlefield in such a small form but still at such a close range it would be deadly. "What are you doing?" she asked, grin fading just a bit.

"I saw what you did to John, Maria, I knew you always liked our son more but John didn't know better. To him you were still his mother yet you never treat him as any more than a nuisance. You should have protected him and tried to save Lucas not punish him and leave his body to rot before caring for your flesh and blood. In John's mind you were his flesh and blood," he said, cocking the gun. He was so apathetic, he was about to kill her but was suppressing everything, he had not cried, he was barely frowning, not about to mourn his son's death but instead seek revenge. Yet here he stood, just staring her down with a disapproving look, only one brown eye showing from behind his glasses.

"A-Alfred," she muttered before an explosion rung out and she fell backwards on top of Lucas, her left eye blown out and an exit wound hidden by her long blonde hair. He frowned and lowered the gun before looking at a skeleton pocket watch, the gears seen moving inside with each tick.

"I'll go make the funeral arrangements with the priest," he said before starting to walk out but just as he opened the front door a man was raising his hand to knock. He wore a black tailcoat with a crisp white shirt and top hat. "I'm sorry but I need to leave, my family just died," he remarked.

"I know," the man said softly before he looked up, his eyes were ice blue, his skin was almost pure white but he had shadow tattoos on his face making his head to appear to be nothing but a skull in the low light. "One of your family members was my student." The man took a step forward making Alfred step back. The power flowing from the man was pure and primal, accompanied with the smell of rotting flesh.

"Wh-Who are you?" Alfred asked while fear flooded into his veins, face paling only slightly.

"I am many things, the taker of your soul, your savior, the one who releases you from all earthly duties. You may call me Mors though," he said before laying one hand on Alfred's shoulder, making him crumple to the floor. He didn't smile as his eyes went to the door of the stairwell, "And now to find my student."

Mors walked down the stairs slowly and entered the basement. He stood over Maria for a moment before clucking his tongue. Her body was white from blood loss, her last green eye wide open and dull. "You ignorant woman, you had so much promise but now it's a waste, almost a waste that is," he muttered before the area darkened and turned more monotone, the ethereal plane being revealed so he could see Maria's soul staring at her body, her form done in nothing but whites and grays. It did not suit her for one he had always seen so full of life and dressed in bright colors and jewels. "Hello student."

She quickly turned, eyes widening, the green they were now like the color of muck as if someone had spilled mud into them. "Teacher!" she yelled running towards him. "What are you doing here?" she asked, starting to smile.

"I felt your soul leave your body. Has all my teaching gone to waste?" he asked, staying calm. He was always calm, he never smiled, he never frowned, never got angry and never seemed to love. But, it was all these things that made him seem like impossibility, a challenge; her heart had always skipped a beat at the thought of pursuing him.

Right now his tone had just enough inflection to say he was scolding so Maria looked down, "I'm sorry. Alfred killed me because I pulled John's heart out in anger," she told him.

"It's not over yet. Tell me Maria, did you ever figure out what I was?" he asked, a long bone scythe forming in his hands. Her eyes widened as she stared at him.

"You are Mors, the god of death," she said which he nodded to. "Are you here to take me to the infernal plains?" Mors shook his head no.

"I am here to make sure I did not waste my time. Your power was strong enough. You can become a lich."

"Lich. Those are the undead necromancers who control the power of ice and death itself?" she asked.

"Exactly," he replied, "do you agree to become one?"

She stared at her body and nodded, "Yes, but when reviving you can't have another body close, will you move me from my son?" she asked.

"No, you and your son's body will merge as one. Only in this household will you two be separate out in the world you will forever be combined." Maria placed a hand over her chest, her son would be forced to be beside her always, but she would always have her son while she lived as well. She allowed a small smile to touch the corners of her mouth.

"I will still allow it," she said, her eyes straying to the body on the floor. Her latest creation, so strong but it would be hard to find a soul for it. A powerful soul. She looked back at Mors, even though he could switch between both planes he was still just a spirit. She could have him under her power. As a creation, she would control him. Her body shivered some with the lust for him, both in the need for his power and carnal relations. "Before you revive me, may I ask a question Mors?"

"What is it Maria?" he asked, a knowing look in those blood red eyes. She silently pulled the scroll out of the dress on her lifeless body.

"Would you like to sign a contract?"

_Fin?_


End file.
